His Excellecy, Rev. Fr. Dr.Hyacinth Iormem Alia has clocked 100 days in office as the sixth democratically elected Governor of Benue State.
As a matter of democratic tradition in Benue State, successive administrations have always made it a point of necessity to account for their stewardship in governance and administration. Consequently, the administration of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia proudly associates with this practice and will appropriately account for her first 100 hundred days in office.
Recall that, at the event of his acceptance speech as the duly elected Governor of Benue State, Governor Alia highlighted his immediate priorities among other fundamental objectives as the immediate payment of salaries and arrears of civil servants owed by the immediate past administration of former Governor Samuel Ortom, as well as the return of internally displaced persons in Benue State back to their ancestral homes as part of his first immediate points of focus.
It is instructive to reiterate that as a state Governor and a man of his words, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia has proactively demonstrated statesmanship, passion, courage, commitment and proven his resolve to return Benue State on the path of prosperity, hope and dignity to the Benue people.
An overview of the 1st 100 days of Governor Hyacinth Alia as Executive Governor of Benue State has the following breakthroughs in the face of all contending odds and challenges, including the huge financial and economic wrecks perpetuated by the immediate past administration led by the PDP:
1. Immediate payment of salaries and accumulated arrears of Benue State civil servants owed by the Ortom led administration. These also include the payment of pensions and gratuities to retirees in Benue State civil service. It is on record that so far, the present administration has paid salaries of workers from month May to August, while arrears are being prepared for the commencement of deserving verified pensioners in the state civil service.
2. Construction of 16 roads within Makurdi metropolis, the state capital. Bearing in mind the aggravated rot of the township roads in the state capital as abandoned by the past PDP government. Governor Hyacinth Alia has awarded contract for the construction of the following roads:
(A) NEW GRA PART OF MAKURDI
i. Odeh-Ageh - John Feese Street with spur to Kuma Abanyam and Othaniel Taangahar Street.
ii. Orkuma Akunda Street
iii. Lush Street
iv. Augustinian Community Road
(B)ADEKE/ACHUSA PART OF MAKURDI
i. Nigerian Navy Barracks road
ii. Keghem Malu Street
(C) WURUKUM PART OF MAKURDI
i. David Jebe Street
ii. Kornya City Guest House - Akpeme
iii. Tyagher Gbaa Street
iv. Victoria Aende Street
V. KEKE NAPEP Street
(D)NORTH BANK PART OF MAKURDI
i. Ghandi Street
ii. Federal Low-Coast Housing Road
(E) HIGH LEVEL PART OF MAKURDI
i. Eight Avenue
ii. Iorkyaa Ako Street (Extension)
(F) WADATA PART OF MAKURDI
i. Ikeja - Sokoto Street.
3. Commencement of the processes for the return of Internally Displaced Persons back to their ancestral locations and homes in Benue State. In line with his consistent stand on battling humanitarian challenges of Benue people, vis a vis the return of IDPs to their ancestral homes, Governor Hyacinth Alia has entered into far reaching collaborations, partnerships and strategic engagements with local and international government and non governmental organizations, with practical dedication and commitment to returning the IDPs back to their homes. Of immense significance in this regard is the collaboration between the Benue State Government and the United Nations (UN). To this effect, on the 26th day of July, 2023 the Benue State Government signed and approved a memorandum with the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of United Nations Systems in Nigeria, Mathias Schmale in a partnership mutually assist in addressing the incidence and plight of IDPs in Benue State. It is of note that while lasting solutions are in the front burners of the government to rehabilitating and reintegrating the IDPs in the state, Governor Hyacinth Alia has elevated the welfare of IDPs on first line charge of his administration by ensuring a stable and uncompromising protection of the lives of the people in their concentration centres. In furtherance to that, the Government through the National Emergency Management Agency and the Benue State Emergency Management Agency has maintained a steady supply of palliatives to the Internally Displaced. Governor Hyacinth Alia has also maintained consistent visits to the existing camps with a view to ensuring that the immediate humanitarian services to the IDPs are not compromised.
4. Distribution of assorted relief materials to flood victims in Benue State. It is apparent that Benue State is situated in a region where floods and erosions have become annual occurrence, causing severe cases of displacement of persons and damaging properties of citizens and indigenes in the state.To this effect, the Government of Hyacinth Alia through the Ministry of Water Resources and Climate has set up technical teams in the management and control of flood on more permanent basis. Meanwhile, temporary measures providing housing and other palliatives measures for their rehabilitation have been embarked upon by the government of Benue State.
5. Constitution of Benue State University Visitation Panels. The Government of Benue State under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, resilient to ensuring academic excellence, research and development in the existing tertiary institutions in the state has constituted visitation panels to all the tertiary institutions owned by the government. The visitation panels include those of: 1. Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, Makurdi, Akperan Orshi Polytechnic,Yandev, College of Education, Oju, College of Education, Katsina-Ala. The central objective is to identify the immediate and remote issues and challenges affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of these academic institutions with a view to addressing them.
5. In view of the rising harsh economic realities in face of the removal of petrol subsidy and ways of ameliorating them in Benue State, the Benue State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government has been able to secure a 5 billion Naira palliative measure in cushioning the harsh effects on the people of Benue State. Out of this intervention, 2 billion has been officially released to Benue State.
In his address on the distribution of the palliatives, Governor Hyacinth Alia stated that the sharing pattern of the palliatives would be as follows:
a) payment for the registration of WAEC/SSCE for the 2023/2024 academic year for all Benue indigenes eligible for the examination.
b) To boost the Benue State ICT sector through the sponsorship and training of over 40,000 youth on ICT in the state. This measure is to ensure that at the end of the process, Benue youth will be able to create jobs for themselves and become self reliant.
c) Provision of grants to 5000 women under registered cooperative societies. This financial support is to address the ravaging effects of high mortality rate, mother to child health challenges, trade and investment and other prevailing challenges of sustaining lives among women in the rural, semi urban and urban areas in Benue State.
d) Purchase of buses to the state owned transport company, Benue Links Ltd. The purpose here is to ease the rising cost of state and national transportation being currently experienced as a result of the removal of petrol subsidy by the federal government.
e) Provision of assorted foodstuffs in large storage and distribution to support vulnerable families within target populations in the 23 local government areas in the state. This is to mitigate against the forces of hunger, starvation and malnutrition among the poor in the state.
f) To pay one month of pension arrears to retirees in the civil service at both the state and local government levels, amongst others.
6. As part of the state responsibility to ensuring that the lives and property of Benue indigenes plying the roads are safe, the Benue State Government under the administration of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia has also commissioned the Benue State Vehicle Inspection Service Centre, Makurdi, which is the fourth among others which are located in Otukpo, Gboko, Katsina-Ala. Indeed, it is expected that the strategy will engender discipline, orderliness, efficiency and safety in the use of roads and transport facilities on roads.
7. With the commitment of the present government to ensuring community and public health prevention and protection against epidemiological cases in both animals and humans in the state, the Benue State Governor has set up a task force for the control and prevention of Anthrax. Anthrax is a viral disease that is common among domestic animals such as goats,bcats, horses, pigs, which when not prevented and treated could threaten humans existence.
8. As a responsible government and leadership which is not only sensitive to the welfare of civil servants but curious in ensuring that civil servants have enough length of time to plan for their post retirement, the government of Benue State under Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia has approved the implementation of new retirement age and length of service for teachers in the state. To this effect, Governor Hyacinth Alia has pegged the new retirement age of civil servants( teachers) at 65 as against the 60 years of retirement age that was in practice. On the other hand, the Governor has pegged the length of service of teachers at 40 as against 35 years as it was the case before now.
9. As a Governor who is favourably conscious of the significance of national unity, national integration and nation building through the National Youth Service Corps, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia has completed modalities for the commencement of payment of Benue State Government increase in allowance of NYSC members posted to Benue State. The Government of Benue State under Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has augmented the allowances of corps members in the state to fifteen thousand Naira, and one hundred thousand Naira for corps members in the medical profession.
10. To ensure the smooth take off and activities of the 10th Benue State House of Assembly, the man of God has approved for the total renovation of the Benue State House of Assembly which was under the worst dilapidated conditions and unfriendly for any serious legislative business in the state. Work has since commenced and about to be completed in the next couple of weeks to come from today.
11. In furtherance of the green revolution agenda of Benue State as an agrarian state which is famously noted as food basket of the nation, Governor Hyacinth Alia has launched 2023 farming year by an aggressive subsidization of farming inputs, seedlings and plants. The Government also subsidized the price of fertilizer to farmers by 50% of the cost of each bag of fertilizer.
Governor Hyacinth Alia is determined to make things work for the state. We should learn to support him in prayers and good counsel to serve us better.
Edit from Dr. Mkor Aondona
Makurdi, Benue State.
👉Comr. Asortar James Asortar reports on Alia TV
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